Month: June 2007

Occasionally I stumble across a creature that I want to discuss that but find very little information about it. Case in point, this month’s creature the guirivulu.
The guirivulu is a creature of folklore from South America, particularly Chile. It is generally described as having the body of a puma with the head of a fox. At the end of its tail is a large claw. The guirivulu lives in the deepest pools and rivers it can find. From there it is known to attack animals and humans alike. When it attacks, its giant mouth swallows the victim whole. As it goes down, the guirivulu’s body expands like a snake’s to accommodate its meal. For this reason it is sometimes known as the fox-snake, not to be confused with the two species of non-venomous rat snake, the eastern fox snake and the western fox snake.

That’s really about it. So why even mention it? Why not write about something that I could fill pages up with, like the Loch Ness Monster? (Or Champy for my Upstate New York peeps!) Why the guirivulu and its little blurb?

It is a matter of introduction. Sure, we all believe in fantastical creatures of our persuasion, for most of us that translates to dragons, unicorns, griffons, and the sort. For most of us, the idea of our personal mythologies including creatures that have a body like a puma, a head like a fox, and a tail with a giant claw that devours its victims like a snake would seems out of the question. Ridiculous. Now you know it’s out there. Some culture already went there and now thanks to reading that little blurb it’s yours now too.

Perhaps one of you will write the continuing story of the guirivulu for me to enjoy.

Maman Brijit is a Voodoo Loa who watches over the dead. She comes to us in the form of a corpse in a wedding dress; she tells bad dirty jokes and swears like a sailor. The reason for this is that being dead she doesn’t have to follow any of society’s rules, so it is very common to hear her and her family talk constantly about penis’ and other sexual organs.But where does she come from?

Most of us know of Brigit, the Celtic goddess of smiths, healing and poetry however when the Scottish and Irish indentured servants were sent to Haiti they brought their legends and love of Brigit as well. As time went by, she eventually became absorbed into Voodoo as the wife of the Baron and the mother of the Ghede (the dead), and by all accounts she is very happy to be there!

We can call on her for just about any purpose; however, her specialty is reuniting the dead with the living, fertility and healing. She is known to save people from the brink of death at the very last moment, and removing curses just as the begin to go into effect, however, as with any loa, she will not do this just for fun – she requires payment!

How do you call upon Maman Brijit?

Go to your local cemetery and look for the first female grave. This may require some research, but it is well worth the effort. Bring a purple, black and a white candle with you (these are her favorite colors) along with some piman (raw rum with 21 hot peppers) if you can get it, otherwise plain rum or strong black coffee will work. She also likes roasted peanuts (unsalted), roasted corn, peppered bread and if you aren’t too squeamish her offerings tend to be a pair of doves. Sacrifice is not required though, she is happy with the legume offerings too. Maman Brijit also loves strong unfiltered cigarettes.

Erect a cross over the grave (sticks are fine) and make the veve you see at the head of this article in flour over the grave itself.

If you are not able to do this work in a graveyard, you can set a space in your house for her, but make sure it’s clean and free of clutter; set the cross against a wall and make the veve in front of it with the candles.
When the space is ready, light the candles and say a prayer to the most high god/dess. Traditionally this would be the Our Father, Hail Mary and Apostles Creed, but so long as you are addressing the Creator of the Universe you will do fine. Next you might want to ask your ancestors and dead loved ones to attend the ritual as well.

The Baron, Brijit and Ghede are interesting loa in that you do not need to call upon Papa Legba to open the gateway for you, you can just begin calling on them after your opening prayers. I would recommend not calling her into a circle though because she tends to be slightly claustrophobic – and its no fun playing host to a freaked out corpse!!

(English)
Gentlemen of the cross (deceased ancestors) advance for her to see them!
Maman Brigitte is sick, she lies down on her back,
A lot of talk won’t raise the dead,
Tie up your head, tie up your belly, tie up your kidneys,
They will see how they will get down on their knees.From http://members.aol.com/racine125/vleson2.html

Keep singing this song, maybe shaking a cha-cha, in a sing-song sort of way. When you begin to feel her presence say something like: “Maman Brijit, it is I who am calling you, do you see me? Look at this food and drink that I brought for you. Please eat them. This food and drink and smoke is for you Maman, please give me … “

Now continue to rattle the cha-cha and sing her songs, light a cigarette for her, puff but don’t smoke it; the cigarette belongs to her, and she might get upset if you eat, drink or smoke her offerings without asking permission.

When you are done, and you feel that the ceremony went well, you could do a tarot reading to see if she has any messages for you. Then simply thank her and say goodbye.

The magic of the loa tends to be subtle; you will go along with your life and not notice the results right away – which is why it would be a good idea to journal your experiences with Maman Brijit.

We have traveled around the world, inspired by what humans have created in celebration of God.

In our travels we have collected sculptures that were representative of various faith traditions. These pieces were the original inspiration for our interfaith catalog. We delighted in the variety of these many cultures, but mostly we were touched by the common threads of Divine Guidance and Compassion evident in so–called primitive art as well as masterpieces.

Combining our various artistic and technical skills, we developed Mission Studios’ growing collection of fine sculptures. We start each sculpture at a larger size and then miniaturize them with an invention we received in prayer. The final pieces are then individually cast by hand, antiqued and polished, by our family of artisans in Oregon.

Our ivory substitute is warm to the touch and very durable, it is also environmentally friendly. Our sculptures, like fine ivory, should be protected from direct heat and sunlight. They can be cleaned with mild soap and water. Try adding a drop of aromatic oil on the porous backs!

We wish that our museum quality sculptures will serve as daily reminders of Divine Love in a world that may sometimes seem overwhelming. We are grateful for this opportunity!

1. All right, how did you get on the radio?
I contacted Lou Gentile in an email telling him how much I enjoyed his paranormal talk show. And if he needed any talk show hosts to please let me know. He contacted me a week later and here I am. I did have a background in radio broadcasting, I went to school in the summer of 2001, and graduated Madison Media Institute in the spring of 2002. I did have on air experience at a Madison radio station. I produced a political talk show as well.

2. Why choose to discuss the paranormal?
Why not? I have always been fascinated by the paranormal. I love listening to the investigators and non-fiction writers stories.

3. Can you tell us a little bit about how your shows are put together?
I contact the individual or individuals I want as my guest, schedule them. I call them 5 minutes before the show starts we discuss a bit about what will be said on the show. I ask what do you want to speak about? What don’t you feel comfortable speaking about? And then away we go!

4. Aside from me (Rebecca), who has been your favorite guest and why?
Lorraine Warren, and Lou Gentile have been my absolute favorite guests. I have so much respect for both of them. Lorraine Warren is the Queen of the paranormal field. Lou Gentile is a wealth of knowledge, and he tells it like it is.

5. What has been the most bizarre topic discussed on your show?
That would be whatever was discussed when Rebecca Elson was on the show.

6. So, with you being a celebrity and all, are you constantly hounded by hot male groupies?
Hot males, no! And we will leave it at that.

7. I know you have strong feelings about Ouija boards, want to share your thoughts with our readers?
I just want kids and adults to be educated about what they are really playing with when you play with a Ouija board. You don’t know where the information is coming from and it is a door that can allow negative entities to come through. I’m not saying something negative will come through every time. But it is a possibility.

8. What is the XX Factor?
The XX Factor is The 1st Annual Prominent Women Of The Paranormal Conference. Juli Velazques is the Founder of The XX Factor and she has asked me to be he host of the event. It is a celebration of women in the paranormal field. Juli wants to recognize the outstanding women of the paranormal community. It will be held June 13th thru the 15th, 3008 in Alton, IL. Everyone is welcome and no you don’t have to be a paranormal investigator to come and join in the fun. To find out more about The XX Factor go to www.myspace.com/thexxfactor.com

9. If you could have anyone living or deceased as a guest on your show, whom would you choose?
God

10. Parting shot! Ask us here at The Magical Buffet any one question?
What is your favorite paranormal talk show?

The Cari Stone Show, and that’s not a suck up answer, it’s the truth. Cari has a wicked sense of humor and lots of strong opinions. I may not always agree with her opinions, but I always enjoy listening. Love ya!

Cari Stone is always being asked how did she become a paranormal talk show host. The answer to this question is simple…Ms. Stone wrote an email to Lou Gentile telling him what a great job he was doing and that she really enjoyed his show. Cari added at the end of my message if you need any new talk show hosts please let me know. Cari Stone went to Madison Media Institute, in Madison, WI. for radio. Cari graduated in 2001 with a diploma in radio broadcasting. Lou Gentile called Cari a week later and left a message on her cell phone. Cari was so excited, she couldn’t believe he would take time to actually respond back to her! While Lou and Cari were planning a weekend talk show for her Lou Gentile had an industrial accident and was seriously hurt. Lou needed someone to step in and help with the show. Cari was lucky enough to be the one he asked and the rest is history.

The Aquarian Tabernacle Church of Wicca Western Washington state’s oldest, friendliest open attendance Interfaith church of Wicca and earth Religions. We are family friendly and welcome seekers on all Pagan paths and people of all orientations, ages and beliefs. We’ve been here for over twenty five years while others have come and gone. We must be doing something right! Come, worship with us, eat with us, meet new friends. Ask us about SpiralScouts, the ATC’s alternative to mainstream scouting programs that has become world-wide in just a few years.

The Aquarian Tabernacle Church, the “ATC,’ or sometimes just “The Tab” is the creation of Pete Pathfinder Davis, who serves as Archpriest along with Deborah K. Hudson, who is Archpriestess of the tradition worldwide. ATC is based on English Traditional Wicca, with a focus of serving the larger Pagan communities by providing open worship opportunities to the public, education, interfaith liaison, and in general, providing the infrastructure available to the followers of most faiths, but previously just not available to Wiccans and Pagans. Things like major Sabbat festivals, full and new moon worship, a place to gather, a lending library, and many other services associated with faith communities.

This all started on October 31 of 1979, when Pete and a few friends decided to form a formal church organization, and established the ATC. It was their intention to establish a quiet place in the countryside outside of Seattle where Wiccans and Pagans could gather for worship without being hassled by ignorant neighbors or suspicious authorities who did not understand their benevolent nature worship practices. The “Tab,” where the church facilities are located, is about 50 miles from downtown Seattle, in the Cascade mountains of Washington, on the banks of the Skykomish river, one of the nation’s last “wild rivers.” Less than a mile away, two twin peaks, Mt. Index and Mt. Persis rise 5,000 feet above the river valley floor. Bald eagles and ospreys nest nearby and soar in the rising wind currents from the nearby hills and mountains. It is truly a natural site in every sense. Out to the rear of the main church building that houses the library, office, kitchen and dining areas, is the MoonStone Circle, the actual place of worship.

The MoonStone Circle is a circle of tall standing menhirs or stones, on a small rise within a stand of old stately cedar trees. This circle was constructed by Seattle area Pagans over a period of two years, using slabs of local granite found along an 1,800 foot high cliff that defines the northern edge of the valley. The circle was dedicated in the evening of December 29th, 1984, in a blinding snow storm. The area was blanketed in new snowfall, and illuminated by literally hundreds of candle stubs, set in the snow. The boughs of the cedars were bending low in their white mantle. The circle dedication was performed by 29 Pagans, some of whom had driven from as far away as eastern Washington, Oregon and Canada. Everyone there had a part in the ceremony. It was a memorable occasion on several counts (it was 2 days before the cars could be dug out of the snow and people could make their return trip home!)

With the participation of many like-minded Pagans, the ATC grew and flourished. Most noticeable was the absence of the customary frictions and infighting common to many Pagan enterprises, to the puzzlement of many observers. Later, we discovered it was due to the fact that we did not define ourselves by who we would not let join in. From the very beginning, ATC was an open attendance Pagan group, where anyone who wanted to attend could, without the usual need for someone to “vouch” for them. Everyone was given a chance to have their say, their ten minutes on the soap box to present their ideas. Certainly, not everyone agreed with everything said, but ATC soon became known as a “safe place” for everyone and their ideas, conventional or non conventional. We believe it is that original concept of Pete’s that is the major force in building the resulting community that ATC has become.

The ATC is a hierarchic organization, though you’d seldom notice that from the way things are done. There is a large core group of about 40 people who are deeply immersed in the activities, outreaches and events of the church, and an overall membership in the Pacific Northwest of in excess of 300. The Archpriestess and Archpriest oversee the overall activities of the church, both locally and on an international basis, through Archpriestesses and Archpriests of the church in each foreign nation where ATC has an official presence (ATC has recognition as a legal church tradition from the governments of USA, Canada, Australia, Ireland and South Africa at the moment. France does not recognize any church.). The Archpriesthood works with an advisory group, the Red Cord Council (or just “the Board”) and virtually all decisions are arrived at through discussion and compromise in the best interests of the mission of the church, by consensus. Rarely, if ever, has a vote been taken on anything. The Archpriesthood, however, retains the right of veto if they believe an action is not in the long run going to be in the best interests of the church or Paganism in general.

Annually at the Hekate’s Sickle Festival held each Samh’ain, the efforts of the members of the church are recognized by the awarding of beads for their cords, each bead having a particular significance. While every member is considered a priestess or priest, to be ATC clergy, one must attend a 4 year college level seminary program culminating in the award of a Bachelor of Ministry degree from our own Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary, with recognized religious education status by the Higher Education Coordinating Board of state of Washington. The Seminary also has Masters’ and Doctorate programs available. ATC does not intend to try to tell anyone how they should conduct their own clergy training, but we are fully committed to the professionalization of the clergy of our own tradition if they are to undertake matters as serious and delicate as pastoral counseling in the areas of life strategies, marital problems, and psychological and childhood trauma.

This is just a basic outline of the ATC’s history and accomplishments. No less than noted author Raymond Buckland, the man credited with bringing Gardnerian Wicca to the shores of the USA, has said in his encyclopedic Witch Book “…the ATC has grown by leaps and bounds to become one of the most respected Wiccan institutions in the country, if not the world.”

A Chronological History of the Aquarian Tabernacle Church (as of March, 2002)

The Aquarian Tabernacle Church was founded by Pierre C. Davis (aka Pete Pathfinder Davis) on Nov. 1, 1979 in Index, Washington. Davis, born in Jersey City, N.J. on March 22nd, 1937, the second son of Joseph A. Davis, a Catholic, and Adele Claveloux Davis, a self-proclaimed Pagan at a time when there was not yet a Pagan movement (1940s) visible in the United States. While “Pete” was and remains the major moving force behind the church, the ATC is not about him personally, but has become something much larger, standing on its own as a leading force in Paganism today. The ATC continues to be based in Index, Washington where ATC erected the MoonStone Circle, an outdoor circle of tall standing stones in a grove of tall old cedar trees behind the church buildings. This worship site was dedicated and consecrated on Dec. 29, 1984 by 29 Wiccans who arrived there for the ceremony from three states, during a blinding blizzard strength snowstorm.

Davis had received his first initiation into the craft on the 14th. of August, 1974, in Patterson, New Jersey, into a small, closed and very secretive tradition known as the Dorpat tradition. He was subsequently initiated into the Kingstone branch of English Traditional Wicca on the 21st. of September, 1983, after relocating to Seattle, Washington. Although it was his intention only to establish a small Wiccan retreat in the mountains near Seattle for local area Pagans to worship unmolested, it quickly became his objective to establish a Wiccan church with the recognition of the federal government, tax exempt status, to gain tolerance if not acceptance by the local mainstream religious bodies. The Goddess, however, had a much larger view and the ATC received governmental recognition in the USA on November 12, 1988 and subsequently gained IRS Group Exemption umbrella recognition as a Wiccan tradition on Dec. 30th., 1991. Any congregation that ATC accepts as an affiliated group in the U.S. receives automatic recognition as a tax exempt church through this Group Exemption.

The ATC went on to receive recognition in Canada Nov. 15th., 1993, and was registered and recognized in 1994 in the country of Australia through its’ affiliate there (which received its original recognition in 1984). The church was established in Ireland by Janet and Stewart Farrar on Feb. 24th., 1999, and subsequently received governmental recognition there as the first (and only) officially Wiccan/Pagan church in Ireland through the efforts of Rev Barbara Lauderdale, presiding elder, in October of 2001. The ATC has also been recognized by the government of South Africa in August of 1998. The ATC maintains a presence in France since April 24, 1999, but France does not officially recognize any church organizations, not even Catholicism, and recently has enacted restrictive laws against all minority religions. Recognition is in process in New Zealand at this writing.

There have been a number of “firsts” in the history of the ATC. In March of 1985, as a result of Davis’ being retained by the Washington State Attorney General as an expert witness to enlighten the Federal Court in Tacoma, WA. about the tenets of the religion of Wicca in a lawsuit brought by a prisoner, Wicca became acknowledged by the Department of Corrections as a religion worthy of recognition for inmates to practice. Shortly thereafter, Wicca appeared in the department’s first edition of “Handbook of Religious Beliefs and Practices” published for institutional chaplains.

In 1992, the ATC was accepted as the coordinating agency for the appointment of Wiccan delegates to the Interfaith Council of Washington (state), and in 1992, Rev. Pete Davis was unanimously elected as the president of the Interfaith Council of Washington. He served two terms, being unanimously reelected at the end of his first term. (So totally unheard of, this has to be a “first” for a Wiccan priest or priestess anywhere in the known universe!)

On April 7th of 1994, the ATC, through its in-house publishing effort then known as Pathfinder Press, issued the first of several mass-produced Pagan tracts (or, more correctly, anti-tracts) intended to educate as well as take some pokes at the fundamentalist Christian tracts published by the Jack T. Chick Publishing Co. of Chino, CA. ATC’s tracts, “The Other People” and “Heathens Idolize School Prayer” were published as parodies of Chick tracts, in the exact same format and appearance as Chick, with the same purpose in mind.

In October of 2001, the first outdoor Circle of tall standing stones was erected within the confines of the Twin Rivers Correctional Facility as a place of Wiccan worship. To our knowledge, there exists no other state sanctioned Wiccan outdoor stone circle intended for inmate worship anywhere in the world.

On April 2nd, 2001 ATC incorporated formally a young people’s nature lore and woodcraft program which had been begun in 1999 only as a local activity for the mother church. Because of the demand for some alternative to the Boy Scouts of America’s gender biased, and in some areas its pervasively fundamentalist Christian programs, “SpiralScouts” was launched as an international organization. SpiralScouts (note it is one word) was developed through an Internet on-line committee of slightly more than 500 participants, presaging its phenomenal acceptance and growth in the Pagan community worldwide. The program was created in such a fashion as to allow its use by any minority faith (or no faith at all) based group as a vehicle to educate children in a particular tradition. The program is adaptable to any non hostile religious community. As of July of 2004, in the months since SpiralScouts “went public,” there are over 100 chartered SpiralScouts groups in the US and Canada. The program continues to grow rapidly. (see WWW.SpiralScouts.org)

Established in April of 1998, the ATC’s Woolston-Steen Wiccan Theological Seminary received authorization from the Washington State Dept. of Higher Education’s Degree Authorization Board to issue academic degrees in Wiccan Ministry in August of 2000 under the agency’s religious exemption regulations. This seminary appears to this writing to be the only Wiccan educational effort to be granted an Internet identifier ending in (dot) edu. (see www.WiccanSeminary.edu).

Chronology: WebCrafter’s Note: The following chronology describes much of Pete’s life and accomplishments, and he expressed his concern over it looking like a “Pete Davis Dog and Pony Show”. It is my contention that without the energy and vision of this one man, the ATC might never have been started in the first place, and certainly would not have grown to the size it is now, or would have accomplished even half as much. The members and clergy of the ATC should look upon this chronology as an example of what a serious minded Pagan can accomplish if he or she puts aside his or her own self-imposed limitations, and just does what is right.

August 1, 1976- Davis and his family relocate to Seattle area from New Jersey

November 1, 1979- Davis starts the Aquarian Tabernacle Church in Index, WA.

September 21, 1983- Davis initiated into the Kingstone tradition of Wicca in Seattle, Wa.

Summer of 1984- Davis and friends build a circle of standing stones in a forest grove.

December 29, 1984- The Moonstone Circle is dedicated in Index, WA. Summer,

1985- The ATC tradition liturgy is formalized and written down.

March, 1985- Davis hired by Washington Attorney General as an expert on Wicca in a federal civil rights court case brought by a prisoner. The prisoner prevails.

March, 1985- ATC’s first Spring Elusinian Mysteries Festival is held.

December, 1985- Wicca is listed as an accepted religion by the Washington Dept. of Corrections’ publication, “Chaplains’ Handbook of Religious Beliefs and Practices (1985)” in an entry written by Davis.

September, 1996- “Heathens Idolize School Prayer,” the second anti-tract, is released.

April 23, 1997- MoonStone Circle at church is vandalized; attacker confesses but is never prosecuted.

August 27, 1997- ATC is the first Wiccan/Pagan organization to apply to Veterans Administration for approval of the Pentacle as a religious symbol for use on government supplied headstones and markers for deceased veterans, beginning an eight year long battle to have Wicca and Paganism recognized by the VA.

February 24, 1999- ATC-Eire established by Janet & Stewart Farrar in Ireland.

April 24, 1999- ATC established a presence in religiously hostile France.

February, 2001- Ray Snyder, ATC representative to The Interfaith Association of Snohomish County (WA) was elected president of that organization.

June, 2000- Woolston-Steen Seminary recognized as a degree granting religious college level education institution by the State of Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board.

April 2, 2001- SpiralScouts International established as a Wiccan youth group.

October 1, 2001- ATC-Eire receives notice of official registration as the first tax exempt Wiccan church recognized by the Irish government.

October, 2001- ATC facilitates the construction by Wiccan inmates of the first worship ring of standing stones within the confines of the Washington Twin Rivers Correctional Center prison at Monroe, Washington.

October 31, 2004- the ATC celebrates its 25th anniversary as a public Wiccan church.

March 2005- ATC celebrates the 20th continuous presentation of ATC’s world renowned Spring Mysteries festival, the recreation of the Elusinian Mysteries of ancient Greece.

In the words of Pete Pathfinder Davis, ATC founder & Archpriest: “Never Forget that life is a journey, not a destination. You will never build a reputation on what you are going to do, and unfortunately, it’s never too late to do nothing. Only those who can see the invisible can accomplish the impossible, so go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Do what you can, where you are, with what you have, right now! If you can dream it, you can do it, so do the things you think you cannot do. Luck is nothing more than good planning, carefully executed. Wisdom is knowing what comes next, and knowing just when to jump off the swing. You are only young once, but if you don’t pay attention to life’s lessons, you will be immature forever.”

In “Symbols and Their Meanings” Jack Tressidder says this of cauldrons, “The cauldron’s ancient links with magic probably originated with its capacity to produce surprising quantities of food and to turn everyday nourishing materials into gastronomic marvels.” Anyone who has had stew made from leftovers knows that “gastronomic marvels” may be an exaggeration, but in this modern era, it’s easy to forget that this now seemingly magical tool was once a cook’s beast of burden.

So, in the beginning there was a big ole’ pot. Boy, who would have known where it would end up! The cauldron has turned up in the tales of the Greeks (where under the advisement of Medea, King Pelias’ daughters chopped him up and put him in a cauldron in an attempt to rejuvenate him) and the Celts (for instance Undry, the life-giving cauldron and prized possession of Dagda). Also, who hasn’t heard “Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble”? It’s various cameo and starring roles in all these tales lent a certain mythology to the once simple pot.

The cauldron can represent plenty, transformation, and rebirth. With the stories of saints boiling in cauldrons, it can also be viewed as a tool of torture. Thus, the cauldron can also symbolize punishment, trial, and initiation. Perhaps it’s these symbolic seeds that have helped the cauldron blossom into it’s best known modern day association…Wicca and witchcraft.

Cauldrons are a common tool/ritual item for Wiccans and other magic practitioners. This once huge metal pot, is now much smaller in size. It’s size is better suited for the modern user, who wants a cauldron for its symbolism and capability for brewing small quantities of potions. You know, we all have crock pots for stew these days!

The cauldron is viewed as the womb of the Goddess and many times takes a central symbolic place amongst a circle of Wiccans or Goddess worshippers. For the knowledgeable magic practitioner the cauldron can be a scrying tool when filled with water. It holds and burns incense or candles. Many burn requests in their cauldrons as well.

Talk about delicious dining! Using deeper perception to read people turns any interaction into one of the greatest feasts on the planet. Be my buffet guest as I read three faces that may already be familiar to you. Then we will enter into an even more sumptuous area of the banquet hall, using a technique I teach for doing an empathic merge into their auras.

Not to eat behind anyone’s back, as it were, each volunteer to be read in this article will append her reaction to what I’ve written. You’re also invited to contribute. To speak up at our perception buffet, send your comments by email to Rebecca@The Magical Buffet [relson@themagicalbuffet.com].

My system of physiognomy updates a 5,000 year-old art. Everything about the physical face except coloring becomes meaningful. Reading our magical crew in this article, I’ll read three physical characteristics each. After describing the face data, I’ll summarize a corresponding talent, also a life lesson. The latter is listed with a question mark. Was the challenge overcome or not? Ask the face owner. And that could mean you, if you share similar face data. So I recommend that you read this part of my article with mirror in hand.

Before munching away, click on these links if you’d like to learn more about the outrageous, heart-opening art of Face Reading Secrets (R)

Maritess ZurbanoMaritess Zurbano redefines the traditional rabbit-out-of-the-hat magic show with enthralling illusions and play-with-your-mind feats of mentalism. Forget balloon animals, vapid-minded female assistants, bad jokes and showy Vegas acts, The Amazing Maritess tackles the male-dominated world of magical feats and shows what a Filipina-American from the Chicago suburbs can accomplish.